Here’s a delightful letter from Dot as Dart’s dry spell continues.
She begins with great exuberance at the arrival of Dart’s portrait. It’s absolutely “out of this world!” She continues with a funny story about her Dad’s reaction to the picture. When he came through the door at the end of the day, he could tell by the look on Dot’s face that either Dart was sitting in the living room or his photo was. She invited him to see for herself. A few minutes later, she checked back to find out what his reaction to the picture was, and she found the following message stuck to the frame: #561341 WANTED for robbery. 6’1″, brown hair, etc.” When Dot asked her father for an explanation, he said, “Well, from that mischievous look in his eye, I took it for granted that he had just stolen cookies from his mother’s cookie jar and I thought people ought to be on the look out for him.” I see where Dot gets her sense of humor. (To see that “mischievous look” you can check out the portrait on the photo page of this blog.)
She is not pleased to hear about his cold. She thinks he has spent enough time in sick bay for all the sailors in the fleet, and she thinks that’s quite enough. To get healthy, she tells him to “blow hard, drink hot lemonade, get to bed by 7:00 PM and sleep until noon.” I’m sure the Navy would understand.
Referring to his recent success in his classes, she tells him that he better stop telling this “first class moron” how smart he is or she’s liable to throw a fit. On the bright side, when he is a world-celebrated genius, she’ll be able to say “I knew him when…”
It’s been decided that she will indeed accompany her father when he goes to Lake Sunapee over Labor Day to bring Ruth and Doug home. Dot is delighted to finally get to see the place after a three-year absence. She promises to take pictures to send to Dart. I know from experience that Lake Sunapee has inspired countless photographs over the years, but I can’t get too excited about the black and white snapshots that were the norm in the 1940s. People had to rely on their mind’s eye to see the deep blue water, the piercing blue sky and the cool green hemlocks. That’s easy if you’ve actually been there, but I’m not sure how impressed Dart would be seeing photos of a place he’s never visited, displayed in shades of gray.
Dot probes a little for details about a horrible dream Dart mentioned. She really wants to know what it was so she can be sure it doesn’t come true.
Gazing at the new portrait as she writes, Dot reports a warm feeling all over. In fact, she claims her glasses fogged up! I’d say the girl has it bad!
She says that by the time Dart gets this letter, they will have known each other for 11 months. It’s been the happiest 11 months of her life. “If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up,” she writes.
